Hi all,

I'm trying to make a chin up/pull up bar for home. The simplest idea I've 
come up with is to have two pieces of timber approximately 2 metres in 
length with a metal bar across the top. I'd have to naturally somehow anchor 
the other ends of the timber and I was planning on using a couple of old 
tires with concrete in them.

Here's a crude ascii diagram of what I hope to achieve:

  _____    Metal bar on top
  |         |
  |         |    Two pieces of timber
_|_     _|_  Wood set in concrete tire base

What do you think of this plan? Do you think the unit will be solid and 
stationary enough? I guess I would need to have a solid base in order for 
the structure to remain stationary while I work out.

Your thoughts or any other simple alternative designs?

Thanks

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 01:54:34 GMT and in free.uk.diy.home, Young Man
wrote.... 


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm trying to make a chin up/pull up bar for home. The simplest idea
> I've come up with is to have two pieces of timber approximately 2
> metres in length with a metal bar across the top. I'd have to
> naturally somehow anchor the other ends of the timber and I was
> planning on using a couple of old tires with concrete in them.
> 
> Here's a crude ascii diagram of what I hope to achieve:
> 
>   _____    Metal bar on top
>  |         |
>  |         |    Two pieces of timber
> _|_     _|_  Wood set in concrete tire base
> 
> What do you think of this plan? Do you think the unit will be solid
> and stationary enough? I guess I would need to have a solid base in
> order for the structure to remain stationary while I work out.
> 
> Your thoughts or any other simple alternative designs?


I once thought of doing something like this but i was planning on useing 
a door frame for it.

MY plan was to drill into one side of the door frame, taking out a hole 
big enough to accomodate a cut down lifting bar. Then do the same on the 
opposite side. Then i could just slide the bar in whenever i needed it 
and the door frame would support it. I'll try and do a similar attempt at 
a drawing.

   _______
   |     |
 000     00 One side should be deeper to accomodate the extra space
   |     |  needed to put the bar in.
   |     |
   |     |
   |     |

Only purpose i thought of this was to save space as when not in use it is 
just a doorway. :-)

Good luck with whatever you chose.

-- 
sme

"Young Man"  wrote in message 
news:d3kign$e2k$1@domitilla.aioe.org...

> Hi all,
>
> I'm trying to make a chin up/pull up bar for home. The simplest idea I've
> come up with is to have two pieces of timber approximately 2 metres in
> length with a metal bar across the top. I'd have to naturally somehow 
> anchor
> the other ends of the timber and I was planning on using a couple of old
> tires with concrete in them.
>
> Here's a crude ascii diagram of what I hope to achieve:
>
>  _____    Metal bar on top
>  |         |
>  |         |    Two pieces of timber
> _|_     _|_  Wood set in concrete tire base
>
> What do you think of this plan? Do you think the unit will be solid and
> stationary enough? I guess I would need to have a solid base in order for
> the structure to remain stationary while I work out.
>
> Your thoughts or any other simple alternative designs?
>
> Thanks


I've got something like this, except it's not in a doorway - it's across a 
narrow hall (extends to 900mm I think) and it's 2.3m off the floor. Two 
brackets are screwed into plywood pads which are bolted to the wall. There's 
a clever little safety feature which pushes the bar into the wall when it 
takes any weight. Might be worth thinking about for 25 quid.

Alistair

http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Back_Care/Inversion_Therapy/inverbar49

I bought a ready made one a few years ago from Argos.  It was an 
expanding metal tube that fitted easily in any doorway and it worked 
just fine.  I'm sure it cost less than 10.  I don't suppose you'd be 
able to do it yourself for much less.



Young Man wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I'm trying to make a chin up/pull up bar for home. The simplest idea I've 
> come up with is to have two pieces of timber approximately 2 metres in 
> length with a metal bar across the top. I'd have to naturally somehow anchor 
> the other ends of the timber and I was planning on using a couple of old 
> tires with concrete in them.
> 
> Here's a crude ascii diagram of what I hope to achieve:
> 
>   _____    Metal bar on top
>   |         |
>   |         |    Two pieces of timber
> _|_     _|_  Wood set in concrete tire base
> 
> What do you think of this plan? Do you think the unit will be solid and 
> stationary enough? I guess I would need to have a solid base in order for 
> the structure to remain stationary while I work out.
> 
> Your thoughts or any other simple alternative designs?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 

"Steve"  wrote in message 
news:GCB7e.44244$mV1.27303@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

>I bought a ready made one a few years ago from Argos.  It was an expanding 
>metal tube that fitted easily in any doorway and it worked just fine.  I'm 
>sure it cost less than 10.  I don't suppose you'd be able to do it 
>yourself for much less.


Unfortunately I do not have a decent doorway to use for this purpose. Plus I 
am pretty tall guy so I need something a little higher than your average 
doorway.